Faculty Recognition
Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine
586 Pioneer Drive
Rochester, MI 48309
(248) 370-3634
Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine
Faculty Awards
Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine honors faculty members for excellence in the achievement of our educational mission and offers six awards in recognition of faculty teaching, innovation, research, and service.
These awards should primarily highlight the nominee's achievements from the 2025 calendar year (January - December), though nominations covering accomplishments from multiple years are also welcome. Your nomination letter must be at least 1,500 characters (~250 words). You can save and return later, but it’s recommended to draft your response outside the form and paste it when complete.
Eligibility:
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Any faculty member who is a tenured, tenure-track, or has a standard faculty appointment at the OUWB School of Medicine. To confirm a faculty member's appointment, visit the Foundational Medical Studies Faculty Directory or the Corewell Health Clinical Faculty Directory.
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Minimum of one year completed as a faculty member at OUWB.
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Previous award recipients are not eligible to win another award in any category until after two years have passed and upon demonstration of additional achievement. For a list of past winners, please see below.
Deadline for nominations for next year is forthcoming.Any faculty, student, staff or community partner may nominate a faculty member for an award. Please limit your nominations to only one candidate per award category. Self-nominations are NOT accepted.
If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to the Chair, Suzan Kamel-ElSayed, at elsayed@oakland.edu. Nominations are closed. The nomination form will be available in fall 2026.
The 2025-2026 Awardees will be announced soon!
Select each award name below for a description of the criteria.
Foundational Medical Studies Educator of the Year Description
I. Eligibility
- All faculty who are tenured, tenure-track, or have a standard faculty appointment in the OUWB Department of Foundational Medical Studies are eligible.
- Minimum of one year completed as a faculty member at OUWB
- Previous award recipients are not eligible to win another award in any category until after two years have passed and upon demonstration of additional achievement.
II. Criteria - This award is for a Foundational Medical Studies Educator with significant accomplishments in curriculum and instructional development and delivery and will be evaluated on the following criteria:
- Through a major commitment to teaching in their discipline.
- Development of educational materials, institution of new and innovative courses, instructional methods, teaching techniques, or evaluation methods.
- Stimulation of student intellectual achievement through superior communication skills and interpersonal rapport.
- Demonstration of respect for students by making an effort to know them, promoting their critical thinking, and inspiring them to pursue extraordinary accomplishments.
- Exhibition of high standards of professionalism.
III. Examples of Achievement in curriculum and instructional development may include:
- New or revised courses or programs or written, electronic or other teaching tools
- Research in medical education that enhances teaching quality
- High quality of student relations (e.g., communication, rapport, availability, advising)
- High quality of course design, modification and instruction (materials, organization, presentation, and evaluation)
- Development of effective learning assessment techniques (e.g., assignments, papers, projects, exams, etc.)
- Creativity and innovation in overall teaching (including direct instruction as well as course, curriculum or program development)
- Significant impact of teaching on students, the community, professional organizations, etc. (impact should be Illustrated by: experiential learning activities, internship sponsorships, research interactions with students, student awards given by professional organizations, publications with students, conference presentations with students, club activities, mentoring of students, international competitions by students, evidence of the scholarship of teaching and learning, evidence of reflective teaching).
IV. Evaluation - The Faculty Recognition Committee will evaluate the nominees’ materials according to the criteria listed above.
To nominate - Individuals may be nominated by other faculty, staff, students, or Oakland University community members who believe the individual embodies and demonstrates the above-mentioned qualities by the online nomination form.
Awardees
Foundational Medical Studies Educator of the Year
Serena Kuang, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Foundational Medical Studies
Clinical Educator of the Year
Wendy Wiesend, M.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Pathology
Foundational Medical Studies Excellence in Research Award
Vardan Karamyan, Pharm.D., Ph.D., Professor, Department of Foundational Medical Studies
Clinical Excellence in Research Award
Andrew Zillgitt, D.O., Associate Professor, Department of Neurology
Foundational Medical Studies Excellence in Service Award
Rose Wedemeyer, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Foundational Medical Studies
Foundational Medical Studies Educator of the Year Award
Paul Megee, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Foundational Medical Studies
Clinical Educator of the Year Award
Mohamad M. Al-Hakim, M.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Neurology
Foundational Medical Studies Excellence in Research Award
Mohamed Al-Shabrawey, MBBCH, Ph.D., Founding Director, OUWB Eye Research Center, Professor, Department of Foundational Medical Studies
Clinical Excellence in Research Award
Nishaki Mehta, M.D., Associate Professor, Department of Internal Medicine
Foundational Medical Studies Excellence in Service Award
Inaya Hajj Hussein, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Foundational Medical Studies
Clinical Excellence in Service Award
Brian Felice, M.D., Associate Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine
Faculty Promotions
OUWB is pleased to announce the promotion of sixteen members of our faculty and the granting of tenure to one member of our faculty. These promotions mark an especially proud moment for the OUWB community as we’ve had the pleasure of watching these talented individuals develop from promising junior faculty into scholars and teachers of national impact and recognition. Congratulations to the following faculty members:
Heidi L. Davis, D.O. - Anesthesiology - Assistant Professor
Julie A. Kado, M.D. - Anesthesiology - Assistant Professor
Steven M. Joseph, M.D. - Emergency Medicine - Associate Professor
Abram L. Brummett, Ph.D. - Foundational Medical Studies - Associate Professor (Tenure)
Nishaki K. Mehta, M.D. - Internal Medicine - Professor
Justin Skrzynski, M.D. - Internal Medicine - Assistant Professor
Rasha Waheed, M.D. - Neurology - Assistant Professor
Andrew J. Zillgitt, D.O. - Neurology - Professor
Leonardo M. Cavinatto, M.D. - Orthopaedic Surgery - Associate Professor
Betina B. Hinckel, M.D. - Orthopaedic Surgery - Associate Professor
Mark Jacobson, M.D. - Orthopaedic Surgery - Assistant Professor
James Z. Huang, M.D. - Pathology - Professor
Kausar J. Jabbar, M.D. - Pathology - Associate Professor
Stephanie L. Campbell, M.D. - Pediatrics - Assistant Professor
Paras Khandhar, M.D. - Pediatrics - Professor
Susan K. Weir, M.D. - Physical Medicine - Associate Professor
Roshan B. Pai, M.D. - Radiology - Assistant Professor
OUWB is pleased to announce the promotion of twenty-four members of our faculty and the granting of tenure to one member of our faculty. These promotions mark an especially proud moment for the OUWB community as we’ve had the pleasure of watching these talented individuals develop from promising junior faculty into scholars and teachers of national impact and recognition. Congratulations to the following faculty members:
Moumen Asbahi, M.D., Anesthesiology - Associate Professor
Sheryar Muhammad, M.D., Anesthesiology - Assistant Professor
Christie M. Vahabzadeh, M.D., Anesthesiology - Associate Professor
Natalie T. El-Alam, Psy.D., Family Medicine - Assistant Professor
Inaya M. Hajj Hussein, Ph.D., Foundational Medical Studies - Professor
Suzan A. Kamel-ElSayed, Ph.D., Foundational Medical Studies - Professor
Kyeorda Kemp, Ph.D., Foundational Medical Studies - Associate Professor
Victoria C. Lucia, Ph.D., Foundational Medical Studies - Professor
Varna Taranikanti, MBBS, Ph.D., Foundational Medical Studies - Professor
Samia Mansuri, M.D., Internal Medicine - Associate Professor
Trini Mathew, M.D., Internal Medicine - Professor
Sara S. Riaz, M.D., Internal Medicine - Assistant Professor
Joel M. Topf, M.D., Internal Medicine - Associate Professor
Stewart Graham, Ph.D., Obstetrics & Gynecology - Professor
Aws Hammad, M.D., Orthopaedic Surgery - Assistant Professor
Khalid I. Odeh, M.D., Orthopaedic Surgery - Assistant Professor
Ehab S. Saleh, M.D., Orthopaedic Surgery - Associate Professor
Kaydee M. Kaiser, M.D., Orthopaedic Surgery - Assistant Professor
Danielle Nolan, M.D., Pediatrics - Associate Professor
Annas Aljassem, M.D., Physical Medicine - Associate Professor
Maha S. Jawad, M.D., Radiation Oncology - Associate Professor
Thomas J. Quinn, M.D., Radiation Oncology - Assistant Professor
Andrew B. Thompson, M.D., Radiation Oncology - Assistant Professor
Wesley R. Barnes, M.D., Surgery - Assistant Professor
Adam Gadzinski, M.D., Urology - Assistant Professor
Honorific Appointments
The Dean’s Distinguished Professor is a permanent, honorific title that acknowledges contributions of employed, full-time, tenured faculty at the rank of Professor, with exceptional records of scholarship, teaching and service.
Dean’s Distinguished Professor Award Recipients:
2024-2025
Misa Mi, Ph.D.
2023-2024
Jason Wasserman, Ph.D., HEC-C
Nelia Afonso, M.D.
2022-2023
Douglas Gould, Ph.D.
The medical school awards this designation as an honor based on outstanding contributions to the medical school.
OUWB Emeritus/Emerita Recipients:
2026
- Linda Gillum, Ph.D., Associate Dean Emerita, OUWB
- Jay B. Hollander, M.D., Clinical Professor Emeritus, Urology
- Charles A. Main, M.D., Clinical Professor Emeritus, Pediatrics
- Paul Misch, M.D., Clinical Professor Emeritus, Family Medicine
- Cathy Welch, Administrative Professional Emerita, OUWB
2025
- Jeffrey Band, M.D., Clinical Professor Emeritus, Internal Medicine
- Jeffery Devries, M.D., Clinical Professor Emeritus, Pediatrics
- Ananias Diokno, M.D., Clinical Professor Emeritus, Urology
- Robert Folberg, M.D., Dean Emeritus, OUWB
- William Forbes, DDS, Associate Professor Emeritus, Foundational Medical Studies
- Michael E. Maddens, M.D., Clinical Professor Emeritus, Internal Medicine
- M. Jeffery Maisels, M.D., Clinical Professor Emeritus, Pediatrics
- Duane Mezwa, M.D., Dean Emeritus, OUWB
- Leslie L. Rocher, M.D., Clinical Professor Emeritus, Internal Medicine
- Sandor Shoichet, M.D., Clinical Professor Emeritus, Internal Medicine
2021
- Judith Venuti, Ph.D., Professor Emerita, Foundational Medical Studies
